Blue and Gold Illustrated

Nov. 9, 2024

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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38 NOV. 9, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: FLORIDA STATE BY TYLER HORKA I t was the best of times, it was the worst of times. There are so many more ways to class up the joint with creativity than start- ing a game preview with a cliché quote from Charles Dickens, but this truly has been a tale of two seasons for the Florida State Seminoles. So we truly could not resist. Around 11 months ago, Florida State finished the pre-bowl season slate with a perfect 13-0 record. The Semi- noles beat Louisville 16-6 in the ACC Championship Game without starting quarterback Jordan Travis, lost for the season with a left leg injury suffered in FSU's penultimate game of the 2023 regular season. Florida State still had enough to get by rival Florida, 24-15, and then the Cardinals in a conference title game that could be described as anything but aesthetically pleasing, but that's where the magic vanished. It's been all sorrow and despair ever since, but without prodigious strength, to continue the "A Tale Of Two Cities" comparison. "This season has been so bad some- times I laugh to keep from crying," a distressed Warchant.com message board subscriber posted Oct. 22. That fan perfectly summed up what's happened to the Seminoles. Florida State lost eight of its next nine games after beating Louisville. That stretch began with a 63-3 beatdown from Georgia in the Orange Bowl. It continued with what everyone thought at the time was a competitive match between two of the ACC's best in Dub- lin, Ireland, in Week 0. Georgia Tech stunned the Seminoles with a last-sec- ond 44-yard field goal to claim a 24-21 victory, the Yellow Jackets' third in four tries against FSU. Losses in three out of four to the Yel- low Jackets has nothing to do with where Florida State stands in 2024, but it's en- tirely emblematic of the Seminoles' sit- uation if you're into piling on. FSU once beat Georgia Tech 12 times in a row from 1992 to 2003. This ain't Bobby Bowden's Florida State, however. It's Mike Nor- vell's, and it has serious problems. Those begin with the quarterback. Norvell got it right with Travis, but since he has moved on to the NFL, quar- terback play has taken a severe turn for the worse. Before getting injured in Week 4 against SMU, journeyman DJ Uiagalelei — formerly of Clemson for three seasons and Oregon State for one — had the worst completion percent- age of his career at 53.8 to go along with just 213 passing yards per game with 4 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions. He was sacked 12 times in five games, too, and was credited with 37 rushes for minus-8 yards as a result. If you're someone who likes to point fingers and assess blame, then point right at the Florida State offense. Assess it the lion's share of the blame. That side of the ball has been abysmal this year. Through Week 8, Florida State ranked 132nd out of 134 FBS teams in yards per game with 276.0. Only Kent State and Kennesaw State were worse. When did mighty FSU fall in line with the KSUs of the world? And we're not even talking Kansas State, either. Ouch. Norvell is an offensive mind by back- ground, having been the offensive coor- dinator at Pittsburgh and Arizona State before leading Memphis to two double- digit-win seasons from 2016-19. Of- fensive has two definitions, per the Ox- ford dictionary: actively aggressive or attacking, and causing someone to feel deeply hurt, upset or angry. Norvell's offense has been the latter in 2024. Just ask Warchant.com subscribers. "For all of us, you've got to show up and be productive in the moment," Nor- vell said at the onset of Week 9. "It's something for myself, coaches, every- body involved. We go through a plan. We go through our preparation. We've got to see that response. I'm definitely expecting to see a positive step." So, the panic button hasn't been pushed by the man in charge of the en- tire operation, but what about by those who follow it closely? Those who root for it, even? That's another story. SUBSIDING SEMINOLES After an undefeated run through the ACC in 2023, Florida State is one of college football's worst in 2024 Facts & Figures FLORIDA STATE VS. NOTRE DAME Date: Nov. 9, 2024 Site: Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET Television: NBC Radio: Notre Dame IMG affiliates Series facts: Florida State leads the all-time series 6-5. Notre Dame has won the last three meetings, including a 41-38 overtime win in Tallahassee on Sept. 5, 2021. Head coaches: Florida State — Mike Norvell (32-24, fifth season; 70-40 overall); Notre Dame — Mar- cus Freeman (26-9, third season). Noting Florida State: After a 10-3 season in 2022 and a 13-1 season last year, the Seminoles have regressed to being even worse than they were in Norvell's first go around — a 5-7 showing in 2021 … Florida State lost to Duke in Week 8 despite allowing just 180 total yards; the Seminoles turned the ball over 4 times, while the Blue Devils did not turn it over once … Through Week 8, only two teams in college football — Houston and Kennesaw State — were scoring fewer points per game than FSU's 15.0 … Florida State's scoring defense is bad but not as atrocious as the scoring offense; the Seminoles' 25.0 points allowed per game through Week 8 ranked 76th nationally. Head coach Mike Norvell went a combined 23-4 in 2022 and 2023, but his Seminoles started the 2024 season 1-7. PHOTO COURTESY FLORIDA STATE ATHLETICS

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